Heavy notes and exposition about the chapter are at the end this time. Hope you like this chapter and give it a shot, everyone!
Chapter 5: Dora and Baru
The two didn't know how long they'd sat there, watching the sun rise as a new day of their lives began. It was odd, but they felt refreshed at the prospect. To them, the idea of having something similar to a fresh start was occurring and it was an exceptionally appealing concept.
As they snuggled together and looked out into the horizon, they felt as if they could stay together without moving for forever. It wasn't like that concept was new to them by any means, and even though they've already done something similar for much longer than forever, it was still certainly appealing.
Pandora let out a light sigh of bliss, fully content with the position she was currently in. If she was honest, going into that seal with Subaru had been the best thing to ever happen to her in her life. What she gained from that experience was something she could never have hoped to gain anywhere else. In addition, that very same thing brought her more joy than she could have ever hoped to have.
When she looked over at Subaru, who still had his eyes cast out into the distance, she could vaguely see his smile. A small smile, one currently similar to hers, that clearly showed how comfortable he was in this moment. Just looking at his smile brought flutters to her chest, among many other numerous feelings that she couldn't quite pinpoint the meaning of.
All of those new things she was feeling were just so different and unique to her, but she liked each and every one of them. The best part? They were all there because of Subaru. Whenever she thought about him she always felt a delightful feeling swell up in her chest. Now that they were always together, that feeling was amplified even more. She loved every second of it. She loved the way he made her feel when he was with her.
She loved his smile. Every time she saw it, her chest fluttered and made her want to smile too. She loved his voice. The tune of his voice was something like music to her ears; she could listen to him talk all day, if it came to it. She loved how he listened to her so attentively in a conversation, too. Whenever she spoke to him, he always seemed so interested in what she had to say. He always made her feel as if what she had to say mattered to him, and she loved that.
She loved his eyes. One might say that they were nasty-looking, which they were for the most part, but they always conveyed his feelings, especially his worry and care. And, while she hadn't said it to him aloud yet, she really did find his eyes attractive. Above all else, she loved his personality. There was just something about his sense of humor that drew her in; she liked his goofy side when he tended to show it. The way he stayed loyal to those he loved and cared about — which now included her — was also something she came to admire over the eternity they spent together.
She could go on and on about what she loved about him. She had come to acknowledge and embed those positives into her mind during their time together in the seal. It was only after that did she come to realize what love was, what true love felt like. Never had this feeling made itself known to her before, but she had no complaints to have it present now. He loved her and she loved him; that was something she wouldn't dare change for anything.
If someone had told her, years ago, that her thought process would become like this, filled with unconditional love for someone like Subaru, she would have probably banished them, or killed them, or tortured them. She would admit that she changed a lot, more-so than she could have ever imagined. And to think it was all because she had been tricked into being sealed with a seemingly ordinary boy for an eternity.
She felt a particularly fond emotion rise within her when she recalled the memories of their time in the seal together. It didn't start smoothly; in fact, they had first hated each other for a long time. But, he reached his hand out to her one day. He started to talk to her and, from there, they talked more and more until eventually becoming closer on a mental, emotional and physical level. Eventually that led to their current attachment now, something she couldn't complain about at all. That eternity with her Subaru changed her, in a way she liked to think was for the better.
Looking back on how she used to be, she couldn't help but mentally cringe. In truth, she didn't know how to perceive herself back then in comparison to how she was now. She wanted to think that she was an entirely different person now, with her entire personality having been completely overhauled into what it was now. She so desperately wanted that to be the case; she really liked herself now, after all. Though, was that entirely true? Of course, nothing she felt and acted on now was fake; no, it was all very real to her. But was her old personality completely gone?
As she pondered that question, she felt herself deflate a little as a minor dose of fear rose within her. It would be a lie to say that it was entirely gone. But even so, whatever was left of her old personality was just a minority within her newer self. She could still feel its presence deep inside of her very being — the selfish and sociopathic personality hidden behind a graceful and calm demeanor — but it ultimately was nothing to worry about just yet… or was it?
"Oi, Dora, are you okay? You've been staring at me for a little bit now, you know."
A voice broke her out of her own mind. She had let herself fall into a daze, her eyes still looking straight at Subaru. When she came out of it, her eyes refocused directly into his own.
"I… I am," she responded with a mostly true answer. She made sure to keep her eyes connected to his in order to give him more of a reason to believe her words. Her body seemed to relax itself a little, after it must have unknowingly stiffened up at the prospect of her old personality still existing within her. "I was just reminiscing about how things used to be with us and how much we have changed over time."
Subaru only looked at her with a concerned expression for a little while. He looked into her eyes as if he was studying her. Pandora knew that he must have not completely believed her words. He was a perceptive person and clearly noticed that her body language shifted. She could only hope that he wouldn't delve too much into it, because if he asked her what was wrong then she'd be inclined to be honest with him.
She didn't want to cause him any more worry. It was already bad enough that he was shouldering the blame for what happened to his spirit and everyone else, even though he shouldn't be. If anyone was to blame, it was her. She had hoped that kissing him would help ease his worries and nerves, at least by a little bit. It seemed to have worked, which she was genuinely happy about, so she didn't want to trigger those feelings coming back by telling him about what concerned her.
A sigh came from Subaru's mouth, catching the platinum-haired girl's attention. "Time really can change people," he stated simply, averting his gaze back to the horizon ahead of them.
Pandora followed his gaze, thankful that he didn't pry; though, she was sure that wouldn't stop him from figuring things out eventually. She was glad that she wouldn't have to burden him with her inner turmoil, for now at least. "I suppose it does, doesn't it," she agreed with his statement. "The two of us, especially."
At that, he let out a small yet hearty chuckle. "Yeah, we've both really changed, haven't we…" he trailed off, his gaze shifting downward. Pandora looked at him, her own gaze now containing the worry and concern that his gaze once had. "Say, Dora, can I ask you something?"
His voice seemed so down, but yet slightly hopeful. She never took her gaze off of him, her eyes and expression morphing into one laced with more seriousness, as she replied, "Anything."
At that, he finally lifted his eyes up to look at her, "Do you think…" he trailed off again. Pandora could only guess as to why, but perhaps he was unsure as to if his question was a logical one or not. "Do you think that you could, uhm… use your Authority to make Beako better? Like make her normal again, so she doesn't have to suffer like that?"
She looked at him understandingly now. Of course he would still be worried about her, she was a fool to think that he would take his mind off of it for very long. She thought for a long moment, debating something within her head, before she answered him, "I can, but I also cannot."
Subaru tilted his head slightly, "What do you mean? Your Authority lets you manipulate reality, right? I thought… that if anyone could do it, it would've been you."
Pandora let out a light sigh, completely understanding his confusion. "My Authority does allow me to manipulate reality, but only to a very specific extent and under certain conditions," she explained honestly. She focused on him, seeing him fully listening to her explanation and waiting for her to continue. "It is more like a manipulation of phenomena around me, instead of just reality. Take the day we first met as an example. You remember when I… got rid of your friends, yes?"
Subaru nodded, signifying that he recalled the event she spoke about. If there were any negative feelings he had about remembering it, he didn't show it in any obvious way. Though, he spoke, "Yeah, I remember. You said that they 'shouldn't be here' before saying that they'd left before we entered that room. Next thing I knew, they were just gone. But couldn't you just do that for Beako? Just say that she never changed!"
Pandora merely shook her head, denying Subaru's logic and statement. Though, she understood that he came to such quick conclusions due to his blatant desperation. "While I understand where your logic stems from, it is not that simple," she said with a neutral expression. He looked into her eyes, and she could clearly see the desperation in them as if it were the daylight sky. She felt bad, terrible even. She did not want him to feel this way; she wanted to help him the best she could. She continued with her explanation: "When I got rid of your friends, I was very specific with the language I used. When I gave the command, I said that they had 'left after the second chamber was unlocked'. Do you recall this?"
He nodded again at her statement, but did not add anything else in addition. The look on his face and emotions in his eyes hadn't changed.
She spoke once again, "This was because, had I said something such as 'they never showed up in the first place' their actions within the dungeon would not have carried over." Seeing Subaru's face slightly shift into an expression of confusion — one which she found kind of cute — she continued, "If I had done that, as an alternative to the command I had actually given, then the knights would have never assisted you in that first trial room. To further clarify, let's say an individual destroyed an entire village. If I were to say that the individual in question had never found the village in the first place, then all of the actions he had taken in the village would cease to exist. Everything he did would be undone. Does that make sense?"
Subaru's expression stayed the same for a moment, before it very slowly started to shift into one of realization and, subsequently, regret. "So… you're saying that if you try to undo things, you'll-"
"If I attempt to undo the spirit's transformation, it would mean to undo all of what she has done," Pandora interrupted, understanding and finishing Subaru's train of thought. "It would be as if she never absorbed those creatures in the first place. All of the magical power she gained and absorbed over time will be lost. This means that-"
"It means that we never would have been freed from the seal," Subaru, similarly, finished her line of thought for her. "It would create some kind of paradox…"
Pandora nodded, "If that is what it is called, then yes. If I undo what she had done to herself, it is effectively reversing her end result. I do not know if it would even work. This type of scenario has never happened before." She paused, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. Her voice, filled with uncertainty, spoke again, "If… If I were to alter those events, one of two things could happen." They looked into each other's eyes as she spoke, both conveying their emotions clearly through them, "One: it would not work, due to the 'paradox' as you called it. The interference between time and space would be too great even for my authority to change. Or two: it does work, at the cost of her losing the power she has gained and forcing us back into the seal."
They both kept looking at each other, the both of them holding an equal understanding of the implications those two possibilities entailed. Either nothing would happen and everything would be fine, or everything is undone at the cost of them returning to the seal without a way out. A fifty-fifty chance, one that was inherently too risky to even attempt.
"So… I guess there's just nothing we can do, then?" Subaru asked aloud, more-so to himself than to Pandora, as he slightly tilted his head away, silently muttering his musings to himself. It seemed that he still held onto some of his desperation, his mind repeatedly attempting to think of ways to possibly fix the suffering spirit. "Couldn't we… uhm… maybe we can just have her, like, undo her absorption?"
The way he looked at her… all full of the smallest bit of hope he had left. It crushed her to see him in such a way, desperate and grasping at the shortest of straws. She shook her head, her eyes softening, "Unfortunately, that is likely not possible. She mentioned that those beings, upon being absorbed, became entangled with her soul. That is nothing to overlook. I am afraid that something as complicated as that is not something that can just be 'undone'. It is fortunate that she was able to find something to repress most of her physical transformations. And Subaru…" she paused, trying to find the right words to use for her next statement. "Before you come up with something reckless… think about how she would feel about this. She did everything, all of this, for you. Do you not think that she would be upset seeing you this way, as well?"
Subaru only looked at her blankly for a while. She had no more words to say, so she just waited for the inevitable negative reaction to her statement; something which she was not looking forward to seeing. It didn't take long for it to happen, his hands making their way to his eyes in an attempt to cover them. The boy then started to slowly progress into small sobs, which only seemed to get worse by the second.
He knew that she was right. She was completely right and he was completely wrong, right? At this point he was only grasping at the slimmest of possibilities. Things that could very well be impossible to do. And she was right about Beatrice, too. What would she think? Knowing her, she'd probably yell at him and tell him to stop being so stupid. He thought about this as he cried, no end seemingly in sight.
Pandora felt something inside of her crack and break. She hurt him, she made him cry, she did this. She berated herself within her own mind, furious at herself for letting him succumb further into his sadness with her brutal honesty. However, another part of her reasoned that what she did was for the best; that it was better for him to know the truth, rather than be led on by false hope and desperation that could lead to rash and reckless decisions.
Unable to withstand his crying anymore — due to the rising sadness within her from seeing him in such a state — she moved her free arm behind his back and pulled him directly into her chest. It clearly took him by surprise, his sobs pausing for a moment as his face instinctively became red due the position he found himself in. Pandora let herself smile slightly, closing her eyes and using her free hand to rub light circles around his back. Before long, she moved it behind Subaru's head so she could begin to softly move her fingers through his hair, trying her best to make him feel as comfortable as possible. Then, she suddenly spoke in a soft yet powerful tone, "It is not your fault."
Subaru's breath seemed to hitch at her words, his eyes slowly widening in surprise. It was as if he truly hadn't expected her to utter such words to him. By his reaction alone, he seemed to almost deny her words.
"If anyone is to blame, it is me," she stated simply, her smile never fading and her hand never ceasing its movements. It took a few seconds for Subaru to properly register her statement, pulling himself away from her chest so he could look at her directly, much to her dismay.
He still looked visibly upset, crushed even. Pandora never let her smile falter, though. He started to stutter through small sobs, "W-What are you talking about?" H-How could this-"
"Shhh," she shushed him, pressing the index finger of her free hand to his lips. "Please, do not try to make me innocent. Had I not shown up, tried to make you join me, threatened you and your friends… this would never have happened. So please, do not blame yourself."
Subaru looked at her pointedly for a moment, almost ready to argue against her words with his own. But, as he observed the look on her face for a while, he saw the unyielding resolve planted within her expression. The smile she displayed was not just something to comfort him, it was reassurance as well. A reassurance to all of her words. Subaru knew that if he tried to argue against her, he would lose. She simply would not let him deny it.
He started to shift his eyes away from her, guiltily. "That's not fair…" he mumbled, clearly unhappy with the current turn of events. He wanted to argue, fight with her about what she said, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Was it because she was right? Was it because he truly had nothing to argue for, or against?
Unexpectedly he heard her let out a small giggle, which was followed by a hand cupping his cheek. His head, and subsequently his gaze, was then lightly lifted upward. He saw the look on her face: a sincere and caring smile and eyes full of love for him. Her thumb wiped away a few of his tears, the soft and comforting feeling of her hand finally becoming more apparent to him.
She closed the distance between them, lightly pressing their foreheads against one another. From there, she closed the distance further until their bodies were closer together. They could feel each other's breath, with Subaru's having more of a ragged motion due to his sobbing and Pandora's having a more calm steadiness to it. Subaru focused on her steady breath and used it to help settle his own.
The two stayed pressed against one another for a while longer. They could vaguely feel the heat of the rising sun, but they were too focused on themselves to properly register it. Subaru himself was trapped within his own mind, thinking about everything. While he still moderately blamed himself, he couldn't find it within himself to argue against Pandora's argument. Was that what she wanted? Did she want him to agree with her; to say it was completely her fault? Well, too bad, he wasn't going to do that because, despite her points being valid, he was still the one who had trapped them in the seal. He still, despite having other possible options, deliberately chose to seal them away and he held onto that fact as his reasoning.
"It's… It's still my fault," he found the courage to quietly mutter out. He felt her twitch, confirming that she had heard him correctly. They ended up moving their heads away from one another, Subaru being much calmer now, so they could clearly make eye contact. "I know that you're really trying to help and make me feel better, but the fact that I'm at fault too is undeniable," he stopped talking to take a breath. "I didn't have to seal us away, but I chose to do it anyway. Among the other possible options I had, I panicked and… well, you know…" he finally finished presenting his logic, his voice low and quiet as he trailed off.
She looked at him without change for a few seconds, before letting out a heavy sigh. Her mouth opened to speak, her voice soft and light, "I know that, no matter how much I may try, you will not change your view on this." He nodded, confirming her words. Similarly to how Subaru felt, she found herself unable to find the will to argue against him. Her eyes suddenly filled with resolve and certainty, something that Subaru did not fail to notice. To her, there was only one way out of this predicament now. "Let us make a compromise," she suddenly suggested, prompting him to look at her in minor confusion before she spoke again. "Let us share the burden of fault between us, okay?"
The wind seemed to pick up after she declared those words. It blew her hair a bit, enough for it to move slightly in correspondence to the wind. When Subaru looked at her face, her expression, he could read all of the emotions laced within. Those emotions and feelings were not something he wanted to deny. So, he inevitably let out a breath, followed closely by a small smile, "Alright, fine. We're both the pieces of shit that caused this mess, then. Are you happy now?"
She smiled too. Although she didn't like how he still put the blame onto himself, she was at least thankful that they had come to a compromise and ended their rounds of self-blame. She could only hope that, with the blame equally shared between them, they could move on and look ahead. She didn't want him to be sad and hold himself back by something that couldn't be changed. That is what she was doing her best to do too, after all. "Yes, I am happy. Thank you, Subaru."
He let himself chuckle a little, "Anytime, Dora."
Her expression shifted to one of minor confusion. She slightly raised a brow and dipped her head a little bit to the side, "That does remind me. I have noticed that you start to refer to me by that name now. What does it mean?"
Subaru looked at her, his smile becoming bigger at the prospect of being asked about the name he had given her. "Oh, it's just a cute nickname I thought of for you! It's just a shortened version of your name, though," he started to move himself restlessly into different types of poses and positions as he rambled, something which Pandora quite honestly found cute. "I thought about calling you 'Panda' at first, which would compare you to a cute and cuddly creature from my homeworld, but I ended up just choosing 'Dora' instead. I thought that, I dunno, it sounded better, I guess."
Seeing him ramble and seem so happy with himself made her happy. She wasn't afraid to let him see her happy, either. Pandora started giggling at first, but soon enough it evolved into full-on laughter. It wasn't the kind of laughter that would insinuate mockery, or insanity for that matter, rather it showed how amused and happy she was.
Subaru, however, didn't quite see that at first, "Huh? What are you laughing at? Do you not like it?! I can think of a new one if-"
"No, no!" She exclaimed, her laughter starting to die down little by little. She started to shake her head rapidly in a desperate attempt to convey that he had the wrong idea. Eventually, her head shakes and laughs settled down enough for her to look at him, a large smile on her face. "I love it," she put her free hand over her heart. "I am just… really happy."
Subaru felt like he'd go blind at any second. The pure beauty of this sight was something far too great for his mortal eyes to behold. Her pale skin, platinum hair and pure genuine smile seemed to reflect the light from the sun, and right into his eyes no less. His heart — and eyes — couldn't take it.
Pandora meanwhile, as Subaru tried to keep himself together, felt endless internal bliss and happiness. Never had someone called her by such a loving nickname before. Her heart raced and she could barely keep her feelings in order. She couldn't help herself with what she requested next: "Say it again."
Subaru snapped out of his own thoughts at that moment. His eyes refocused onto her, only to once more see the beaming smile plastered on her face accompanied with eyes that essentially pleaded with him to fulfill her desire. I'm addition, she seemed to have leaned forward and closer to him in great anticipation.
Once his mind fully registered these facts, he let himself smile with amusement, "Dora."
As if something struck her in the chest, she flew back in a dramatic fashion, something very similar to what he may have done. It made him chuckle. He quite enjoyed her antics, especially when they were inspired by his own. When she leaned forward again, her face held an expression more akin to smugness laced with some mischievousness, yet to him it was cute all the same. She playfully winked at him as she teased, "Hehe… if you gave me such a cute nickname, then I must come up with one for you as well."
Subaru was unexpectedly thrown back when the girl pressed herself up against him. She held him affectionately, likely trying to express her happiness physically in addition to her words, with the same look on her face. In a way, Subaru was dumbfounded at her behavior. If anyone, literally anyone, that knew how Pandora normally acted saw this, they'd immediately claim that she was an imposter or something. The actions thus being taken by the Witch of Vainglory currently were so uncharacteristic to her past personality that it was like looking at a completely new person.
Though, that was only more proof to show how much she changed, wasn't it? Pandora herself clearly acknowledged and relished in the fact that she was different, taking advantage of it in every way possible. As a matter of fact, Pandora had actually started to become this way while the two had been trapped together in the seal. Some time after their hands had come together for the first time, her personality took quite a major shift and it was all completely directed at him. She became almost happier, more cheerful, in a way and he could see it very clearly through their near constant conversation. In addition, he noticed that she had also become clingy to him in physical, emotional and mental ways.
Of course, the same changes had come to apply to him as well. He had become happier around her and had come to cling to her as much as she did to him. Once they were released, however, Subaru felt himself decline back into a state of depression and self-loathing, similar to how he had been after his initial arrival in the seal. This was particularly driven by his new surroundings and the painful truths of what occurred due to his reckless actions. So, while he still, without an ounce of doubt, held a deep feeling of love and affection for Pandora, his depressed state didn't exactly motivate him to act out on it as much as he would otherwise.
He was unsure as to whether Pandora had reverted into a similar state as him, but her actions proved that she seemingly hadn't. Since the very moment she had awoken, while she seemed a bit less expressive, her willingness to be close and cling to him was majorly prominent. In fact, it seemed to have become more apparent now that they were completely alone together. Subaru had to wonder, was she holding herself back because Beatrice was around? Was she embarrassed? Or was she only doing this to make him happy?
Subaru kept looking at the girl who was now humming thoughtfully in his lap, swaying her head a little bit to each side as she thought. Her composure seemed to have been completely replaced by this happy-go-lucky character instead. Was this really her? He had doubted it at one point. Logic stipulated that it was. The Pandora he had first met was gone, having evolved into someone much more eccentric and affectionate toward him.
Subaru, honestly, didn't know why the change had been so drastic. He knew that, prior to her developed feelings for him, she never experienced anything akin to love or true happiness. So, Subaru considered that perhaps her actions were born out of pure genuinity; that she was acting like this because she was embracing all of the new and unique emotions she came to possess.
When she looked up with him, a beaming smile still present on her face, Subaru let his doubt start to wash away. Her smile, her look and her eyes were all genuine. Her actions and her desire to help him was of genuine concern and love. There was simply no way to mistake that. Why had he doubted it, anyway? Was it because he hated himself; or because he found the idea of someone loving him as purely and genuinely as this hard to believe? Ironically, he wanted to hit himself. Doubting such a thing would be to insult the eternity they spent together. The eternity in which they struggled, overcoming many of the invisible obstacles that held them back, and let their mutual love be born and grow.
A louder hum from the girl stole his attention. When he refocused on her, he saw a new expression of minor eagerness and anticipation take form on her face. She seemed pretty excited, he thought. Though, after she realized the rather odd and carefree actions she did, she took herself back from him a little bit to recompose herself. Now, while the distance between them was still close, she looked at him from the front, in contrast to from his lap, at an equal eye level. Her posture became more composed and stiff, as if she were attempting to hold herself back from acting so indiscriminately with him again. Was she nervous, perhaps? Or was she just trying to keep her 'composed and calm' image and utterly failing at it?
When her mouth began to open and Subaru heard her voice, it was confirmed to him that her physical composure betrayed her true feelings, "Baru. I like Baru. Though it is only a shortened version of your name, like the one you gave to me."
It was as if an angel had blessed his ears with its voice. Her voice felt so angelic and resonated with his soul, all the while carrying the bliss and happiness she truly felt with it directly into his heart. And, oh man, wasn't she just so cute right now, Subaru thought.
It took him a little bit to realize that she had gone silent, her eyes drilling into him with seemingly nervous anticipation. Suddenly he felt guilty for making her wait like that, he smiled and started to tell her his honest thoughts, "I like it a lot! No, I actually love it!" His exclamation came accompanied with a small, yet still dramatic pose that only Subaru himself was known to pull off (and maybe Beatrice on a good day). He settled down fairly quickly, proceeding with his compliments, "I think it's great to have our names be so simple and similar! It connects us in a way, doesn't it?"
Pandora, who was actually stunned a bit due to Subaru's confident exclamation, looking at him with wide eyes. Her mouth, which was slightly agape in some form of surprise, had quickly shifted to that of a genuinely happy smile.
"Ah, cute…" she heard him mutter under his breath whilst scratching his cheek with this free hand. Her previous expression vanished in an instant, replaced by one of slight shock and a red blush. Her being so unmistakingly pale didn't help the matter, since it only made her blush more prominent. Subaru noticed her change in expression and make-up choice, quickly growing concerned, "Oi, Dora, are you okay?"
Subaru had been ready to ask a million questions, to see if she was alright and identify what he had done wrong. He knew that she wasn't particularly used to compliments either; even when they were in the seal, he had not complimented her too often, nor she him for that matter, because their relationship wasn't mainly conveyed that way. So, was that it? Was she just not used to it, or did he actually say something she didn't like? But he had little time to formulate such questions, however, since before he could even begin to start asking them, he felt an arm wrap around him and a body-mass tackle him. "Baruuu~"
She was snuggling him. This really reinforced everything he thought about her before, didn't it? The position he was currently in felt so natural and comfortable to him, yet at the same time it felt weird. This girl was supposed to be the infamous Witch of Vainglory. Witch of Vainglory. Witch. Of. Vainglory. Said Witch was currently snuggling him in a tight embrace, rubbing her cheek affectionately along his very unimpressive chest. By that standard, was she really that Witch anymore? Or was this just Pandora, a normal girl that fell in love?
Subaru found himself starting to smile, his own arm returning the embrace. He let himself become engulfed in the comfortable feeling, as the two pleasantly snuggled together. It was peaceful…
…for approximately twenty-three seconds.
The wind picked up again, hitting them directly with a cool breeze. It hit hard enough to take them out of their relaxing silence, but what followed was even worse. Both of them, simultaneously, sniffed the air, before recoiling with haste. They both covered their noses in an instant, looking at one another with horrified expressions.
"How did we not realize that-"
"-we contained such a horrid smell."
Subaru had started and Pandora finished. It was then mutually and silently decided that they both needed a bath. They, somehow, hadn't even realized how bad they smelt. The both of them wondered why Beatrice hadn't told them, and how in Od Laguna they didn't realize themselves sooner. However, they wasted no time on such insignificant thoughts and instead focused their time on getting to the bath. Soon enough, they stood directly outside the bathroom doorway.
Though that's where another problem arose. Well, for poor Subaru at least.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" He yelled, dramatically moving his body in correlation to his words. He looked down to his left, where the shorter, platinum-haired girl stood looking up at him with an expression of minor confusion. "How is this going to work?!"
She tilted her head up at him, clearly still confused as to what he was talking about, "What do you mean, Baru?"
He quickly raised their conjoined hands in front of their eyes, "This! Don't you think this is… well, a problem?!"
Her expression failed to change. Still just as confused as she was before he answered her, she asked, "Why would it be a problem? I like holding your hand. Do you not like it?"
He immediately started to shake his head rapidly to each side, his free arm following in similar motions, "No, no, no! That's not it at all!" When he stopped shaking his head and arm, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before letting it out in the form of a long sigh.
"Baru, what is wrong? Your face is all red."
He deadpanned at her, "Dora, listen." He took a deep breath, before using whatever willpower he could muster to begin his explanation, "We're about to go into the bath. Together. We'll, uh… be exposed, you know?"
While Subaru was desperately trying to convey the issue at hand, Pandora still couldn't see the problem he was talking about. She raised an eyebrow at him, "Exposed?"
At that, Subaru let out a groan. He was so desperately trying to convey the problem without being so direct, but it seems as though he had little choice now. He was really not looking forward to it. With full-on embarrassment, he began, "You know, we'll both be n-naked in there, right?"
"So? It is nothing we both haven't seen before."
Her immediate reply threw him back, both metaphorically and literally. He really did not expect that answer at all. It messed with his head, just a little bit. "I know that! But that was when we couldn't physically, erm- react and feel things. This is different!"
His whole body was practically trembling, lips quivering and eyes full of desperation. Pandora only looked at him with a face of neutrality, which at first fueled his hope. But then his hopes were utterly crushed when her face changed, her mouth curving upward and her eyes momentarily shining. Her gasp on his hand tightened as she quickly began to lead him into the room. "Then I suppose we will have to take care of that."
"…Nani? Now hold on just a second here. Wait, wait, wait, wait-"
Subaru let out a lengthy, and quite frankly heavy, sigh as he sunk himself further into the water. His mouth was now submerged in the water, his eyes glancing to his left. There she sat, eyes closed and submerged similarly to him. They were both completely and utterly embarrassed.
Contrary to what one might think, nothing actually happened between the two of them. Physically, anyway; mentally was a completely different story. When Pandora dragged him into the bathroom, she didn't exactly waste much time in trying to get undressed. Though, there was a problem: she was wearing a cloth that had to go over her arms to get off. And, with the both of them unwilling to separate their hands, Pandora just chose to rip it off, much to Subaru's dismay.
Needless to say, Subaru was a blushing mess. Yes, they had seen each other in their birthday suits whilst in the seal, but it was done as a futile attempt to make them physically feel something. Quite literally, any physical stimulation in there was null and void. Now though, he was sitting ducks.
What he didn't expect, though, was for Pandora's behavior to suddenly flip on its head. Whatever confidence she had previously displayed vanished, replaced with what seemed to be pure embarrassment as the girl's face flushed red. He would have found it amusing if his turn wasn't next. Pulling down his pants never felt so difficult.
After that, neither of them actually looked at the other's nether regions for longer than necessary. Actually, the two of them did sneak a peak or two as they got into the bath itself, which didn't exactly help them at all Luckily, they didn't have to worry about 'physical stimulation' for too long since, after they had gotten into the bath, the water blanketed what was underneath it enough to obscure direct sight. It gave them time to calm themselves down and unwind.
Eventually, the two settled themselves enough to actually relax. As the warm water covered them, they finally let themselves ease into the snug and pleasant feeling of the bath. They stayed that way for a while, basking in the comfortable silence they rested in. It was nice, peaceful even. The two felt like they could rest in the same way for another eternity.
As they relaxed, Subaru had ended up directing his gaze up toward the ceiling. A thought had presented itself within his mind and it was something he had come to think about. Not having come to a conclusion on his own, he decided to ask his current bath-mate, "Dora, what are we?"
At that, she raised herself from the ester a bit, opening her eyes and looking at him. He similarly moved his own gaze to meet hers, her confusion obvious to him at first glance, so before she could ask him what he meant Subaru spoke again:
"Relationship-wise, what are we? I mean, we love each other, that's for sure, but we never really established what our official relationship status is."
She hummed thoughtfully at the notion, she herself unsure as to how she should answer. Eventually, she did give him her honest opinion, "Do we require a relationship like that? I believe that the love we share is enough, do you not agree?"
"I do entirely," he confirmed, looking at her with an expression of seriousness to affirm his sentiment. "It's just something I was thinking about. Like, how far does it go? I feel like just being 'boyfriend and girlfriend' would be too small for what we have. Are we, like, a married couple?"
She tilted her head slightly, as if questioning him silently. He sweatdropped at her deadpan, wondering what exactly was going through her head. Luckily he didn't have to worry about the girl's thoughts for too long, "I believe we have something much more significant than that. Something beyond that of a sworn marriage. We are… eternal partners."
"Eternal partners?"
"Yes. I just came up with it, do you like it?"
Subaru resisted the urge to chuckle as the girl looked at him for an answer. "I like it, don't worry."
Pandora closed her eyes, satisfied with the response she received, "I am happy to hear that."
Subaru would admit, he did like the sound of it. While 'Eternal Partners' didn't exactly sound the best, it did fit them perfectly. He'd rather have a more symbolic and meaningful name, one which was unique to the two of them, rather than one that was ordinary or just sounded nice and rolled off the tongue.
They were silent again for a few moments, the silence only breaking when Subaru spoke again. "Say, Dora."
"Yes, Baru?"
"I love you."
She smiled, "I love you too."
The two of them ended up reverting back into the relaxing silence they relished in before. They closed their eyes and, whether they realized it or not, drew closer to one another until their arms made contact. At first, it felt oddly nice, natural even. However, Subaru quickly widened his eyes in realization at the reminder of something.
"Say, Dora."
"Yes, Baru?"
"How are we going to handle getting out of here?"
She couldn't answer that question.
Tada! Here I am, at the end of the story instead of the start! Oooo, spooky. Anyway, I thought for this chapter in particular that it would be better to put my exposition at the bottom. Speaking of which, prepare yourselves for some exposition!
I had a lot of doubts with this chapter, at first. It made it harder for me to write because I was unsure as to how it would be received, however ultimately I decided to just tell the story.
This chapter focuses on both Pandora and Subaru's character and shows you, the audience, how much the two of them have changed, especially around each other. Pandora's exposition at the start of the chapter should cover her enough, but I'll do a small clarification. Yes, she's different from how she 'normally' is. The reasons as to why she's like that are explained, or should be obvious. Though, I do wonder if she's all there, hm?
For Subaru, his changes are a little less obvious. It may seem like he's still himself, which he still does indeed hold a lot of his old personality, but his overall behavior and actions are definitely… well, different. Why did Pandora seemingly change more than Subaru did, you ask? Well, that answer mostly has to do with her feelings. You got a glimpse of that in this chapter, and if you didn't fully understand it here you definitely will soon enough.
And in case anyone says "why did they just get over everything so quickly," I'll just say now that, no, they didn't. I'm not going to go in depth as to why or how they didn't, but just know that even though they're distracting themselves with other things doesn't mean they've gotten over it. It'll always be eating away at the back of their minds until the issues come up again.
Anyway, on unrelated notes, this chapter, I think, marks the halfway point of the story. Overall I can picture around 4-5 chapters left to do (length to be determined) of the main story before I reach the end and start my next project.
However, there are things that I'd like to ask for your opinions on. I was thinking of doing a… well, R-Rated scene between the two of them. I don't really know whether or not to put it as a special, optional chapter within this story or make an entirely new one-shot story centered around that scene alone. I was thinking of doing the latter so that this story doesn't become tainted with such a thing, but you guys can decide.
Additionally, I was thinking of making special chapters when the main story ends, featuring Subaru and Pandora's time in the seal. It would include what you'd expect it to, of course. I just figured that, since I keep referencing their time there together that it would be neat to possibly expand on that. Again, let me know your thoughts.
Hope you enjoyed it, everyone! See you next chapter!